The Alley Cat Experience
by Willowdove
Summary: This a meeting between Kyo and Tohru before they actually met, in which Kyo was trapped in his cat body.
1. Chapter 1

The Alley Cat Experience

When I first opened my eyes, I beheld a vast sea of wrappers and rotten banana peels. Now those eyes darted nervously as I walked along the rim of the dumpster. I hated these days. Days that Akito used to remind me of my inferior, monster blood. How she did it, does it, I'm still not sure. All I know is that one minute, I'm sleeping fitfully- completely and totally human- and the next, I'm a tuft of orange fur laying around in some abandoned alley.

I'm never in the same alley as before, so it's not like once I find my way back home I can remember it for the future. No. Every time I wake like this, to the putrid scent of garbage, I have to endure the same helpless feeling of being truly lost.

Not that home is much better. Heck, sometimes I wonder why I bother going back at all. But then, there's nowhere else to go. The outside world is never safe. Not for a Sohma.

I rolled my shoulder muscles back and tensed my legs- meticulously streamlined myself as I prepared to jump- only for the purpose of wasting time. I knew I'd regret it later, when I'd be hungry. But then, why did that matter?

_Why does it matter: if I starve?_ I thought to myself. _Nobody cares about me. Most actually wish that I never existed. If I die, they'll probably have a party rather than mourn. Starving will cure my boredom, anyway._

The thudding of running feet interrupted my thoughts, and a young girl shot past the dumpster I was standing on. The wind she created stirred my fur, and almost knocked me over. She probably would have made the next state over if she had continued at that pace, but she tripped- over what, I don't know- and fell headlong to the ground.

I stared at her from atop the great green mountain of waste. She was a brunette- with innocent eyes and a kind mouth, which, even in a grimace of pain, was easily discerned to be the type to smile.

She looked up at me in a daze, and I felt my heart skip a beat. She was beautiful, and looked to be about my age. Sixteen, that is. Without loosing eye contact, she started to pull herself up. But as she did this she let out a sharp cry of pain, and clutched at her ankle.

When her shaking hand came away, it was crimson with blood.

I finally jumped down then, landing gracefully on the cracked concrete. I looked around for something she could use to bind the wound- clothes, rags, even a plastic bag could work. But there was nothing.

I nosed her skirt pockets; she had no phone, no money, nothing.

I walked over to her head then, giving her the sternest look I could manage. _Stay put_, I thought-spoke to her, _I'll find help_.

Of course, she couldn't understand me, but she wasn't moving anywhere with an ankle like that anyway.

I propelled myself out of the alley with a ferocity I didn't know I had, and weaved between people on the sidewalk. From the sheer number, I figured I must be in the city. _Good,_ I thought, _that will work out perfectly_. I made my way to the nearest bench I could find. Those were the only people my plan would work on: the ones sitting down and not paying the world any real attention.

The man on that bench reeked of beer, old cologne, and cigarettes. His mouth was fixed, his eyes beady. I didn't need an animal's sixth sense to tell me that he was trouble.

I continued on, finding the next man a bit more average. He was balding under his obviously fake toupee, but his crow's feet pointed toward a mellower attitude. Besides, he seemed sincere. He would be my victim. I didn't have any more time.

Before I pounced, I inspected each of the man's pants pockets for any visible bulges. If I picked the wrong pocket, I would risk injury and confinement for nothing.

_There! _I mentally shouted, _The right pocket! _

I nimbly landed right next to the man's side, and shoved my face into the dark, stuffy space. It was incredibly awkward, but I knew it had to be done.

My muzzle banged into something, and I snatched up with my teeth, pulling out so quickly that I careened over the bench. Pulling my limbs under me, I got back up just in time to see the man to jump up and try to snatch me. _Perfect_. I turned tail and raced back toward my alley.

I couldn't tell the man to follow, or why it was so incredibly important that he did. I had to create different incentive. And I had, hadn't I?

Even when the walk wasn't far, I had to stop periodically so the man didn't loose sight of me. I took one of these brief moments to inspect what I was holding.

It was a phone- the best thing I could have hoped for! If the man didn't make it back, then I could dial 911 on my own. I didn't have to talk- they could track me.

Even so, the man's footfalls still resonated behind me, when I made it back to the girl. She looked as though she was unconscious. I sat by her injured foot, careful of it, and set the phone down. Using the claw that was ordinarily my index finger, I dialed clumsily.

9. 1. 41. _Agh_! End. _Okay, I got this_. 9. 214. _Agh_! End. 9. 1-

The man skirted into view, taking in the scene with shocked eyes.

"Dear God, cat," he said, "I'm no doctor."


	2. Chapter 2

The man's face was so pale that I thought that he might have lost blood just by looking at the girl's wound. He stiffly forced each leg forward, thumping them down clumsily with wobbling knees.

"Blood," the man whispered, "Oh dear God."

He stared down at the girl's ankle, not blinking. A few agonizing long seconds past before he was able to unlock his joints and kneel down next to her.

"What do I do?" the man muttered softly. He wringed his hands anxiously, as if he could squeeze the answer out of them.

I meowed impatiently, and turned back to my own task. **69.** _No!_ **End. 9. 21. **_Agh! Why is this so impossible?! _**End. 9. 1... 1!** _Yes!_ _I did it! I actually, finally did it!_ **Send.**

The man blinked when he heard the dial tone, peering down at me with renewed annoyance. "Stop messing with my phone," he scolded, snatching it away from me. "I have to call an ambul-"

"911. What is your emergency?" interrupted the operator on the other line.

A purr erupted from my throat. They don't normally pick up so fast.

The man was speechless. He looked at me, the phone, me, the phone, soundlessly announcing his awe. Clearing his throat, he spoke, "Yes. I found an unconscious girl. She appears to have lost a lot of blood through a gash in her ankle…"

I closed my eyes and relaxed then, curling myself up under my tail. _You're safe now, whoever you are,_ I thought to the girl. _At least one of us gets to be happy._

I reawakened to the sounds of wailing of sirens and tires skidding to halt in front of my alley. _There's our ride_, I thought, jumping to my feet.

A man and a woman swung the heavy vehicle doors open before getting out and slamming them shut. One went around the back to grab a gurney. The other went directly to the girl, binding her ankle and taking her pulse.

Orders were shouted between the two, and they would occasionally refer to the man with the toupee for information he didn't possess. There was a lot of Velcro strapping and continuous heartbeat checking before they finally hauled her into the back of the ambulance.

I bounded up into the car after her, carefully avoiding being stepped on.

"Hey!" the ambulance man shouted, "Someone get the mangy fleabag out of here!" I gave him a reproachful look. I didn't have fleas. But he was right in thinking that I didn't belong.

I slinked away from him, and prepared to jump out of the ambulance.

"He's the girl's cat," toupee man told them, interrupting my retreat. "He went and found help- me- when she got like this. He even dialed 911 on his own. I think it's better if he stays."

_Right. I am a good cat_. I blinked my thanks to toupee man and ran back under the gurney. But even while I settled down, I wondered to my self- _But am I HER cat?_

It's true that whatever Akito does to me on these sorts of days cannot be reversed until I return home. Ordinarily, my main focus is regaining my human form, but if I stayed… I could be a cat forever.

After seeing the kindness in the girl's eyes... I couldn't say keeping four legs and a tail would be so bad. _Maybe, if I stayed with her, I could be happy. Maybe…_

It was foolish to let myself think such things. She wouldn't want me. I'm the cat. The one who was tricked and shunned, the one who nobody likes to be near. _Even without knowing my background, she'd eventually find my inner atrocity. It's only ever a matter of time._

"Where," a soft voice slurred, bringing me out of my self-pity, "Where am I?"

"She's awake!" the ambulance woman declared. _She's okay! _I thought, relieved. My purr started up again. _She's awake!_

"What is your name? Do you have any relatives we should contact?" the man immediately questioned.

"My name... I'm Torhu," the girl whispered, "Torhu Honda." She paused, looking around her. "Is this an ambulance?"

The woman laughed. "Yes dear," she said, "Now, maybe you could give us your parents names? Phone numbers?"

"I never met my father," the girl whispered. She took a shaky breath before adding: "My mother died last month."

Silence descended in the vehicle. I bowed my head in remembrance, feeling the swaying car beneath me. Poor girl. No. Poor Torhu.

Finally, the man spoke again, "Is there anyone else I can call? A sibling, a roommate-"

The girl sighed. "There is always my grandfather."

"What's his number?"

"I would hate to disturb him. Besides, my stepfamily sent me here so I would be out of the house." She bit her lip. "I'm not hurt so bad that I can't just find my own way home, am I?"

I laughed quietly at her, but with the vocal chords of a feline it sounded more like a coughing fit.

"Oh yes, I almost forgot about the ma- cat. I almost forgot about the cat," the ambulance man muttered.

"The man who found you said you were saved thanks him," the woman added enthusiastically, obviously glad for a change of subject.

"Cat?" the girl asked.

In reply I removed myself from under the gurney, and jumped up onto her arm. I nosed her gently, looking into her eyes; I willed her to recognize me.

"Oh, you're the cat I saw in the alley," she proclaimed fondly, "Saved my sorry self, did you?"

I purred louder, and curled up in the crook of her arm. "You are precious, aren't you?" she cooed, petting me through the blanket.

For that blissful moment, I thought everything might finally turn out alright.


	3. Chapter 3

It always amazes me how fast cats take to sleep. The next thing I knew, I was blinking away my dreams and yawning. My muscles were stiff from lying in the overly soft cushion of a chair. The odor of hand sanitizer layered above blood confirmed to me that I was indeed in the hospital, without my even needing to look around.

When I did, however, I was pleased to see the girl propped up against her pillows, wolfing down food like there was no tomorrow. I couldn't imagine that food there tasted too great but hey- to each his own.

The girl, Torhu, I remembered, glanced up suddenly, realizing she was being watched. "Oh!" she cooed when her eyes found mine, "You're awake!" She patted her lap. "Come sit with me. I'll share."

I re-examined her food and reached a stronger conclusion than the former: No way did I want leeks. I shuddered, but headed over anyway. Immediately after I was seated, she waved the limp vegetable near my face. I felt my lip curling up as I turned my face away, emoting the word 'yuck' in all its rude glory.

Luckily, Torhu just laughed, clearly not offended. "Picky, aren't you?" she teased, tossing the leek into her own mouth. "Ah well. Your loss."

We sat there for a while, companionably. She stroked my ears for a time, rubbed my back, fussing over me in general. I enjoyed it a lot more than I probably should have.

Then her grandfather walked into the room.

I could tell immediately it was him; his face held the same kind softness that Torhu's did, if with slightly different features. He was a short, wrinkled old guy- but I took to him as instantly as I had taken to Torhu.

I stood to greet him, almost forgetting for a moment my feline form. Instead of introducing myself, I meowed.

The grandfather's eyes crinkled up even more when they saw me. "So this is the Miracle Cat, huh?" he chuckled, "Scrawny little guy, isn't he?"

"Isn't he cute?" Torhu cooed, patting my head. My tail curled up happily. _Torhu and her grandfather both like me. Maybe I have a chance of-_

"You know he can't stay with us, right?" the grandfather murmured, "We can't afford to keep a cat. I can barely pay for the people staying with me right now, and you know you're stepfamily wouldn't want a small animal underfoot." He sighed before continuing, "We could find him a good home, Torhu. But we can't keep him."

I watched the girl's face as that fragile piece of hope between us shattered. She looked like a delicate glass, veined with small cracks threatening to eventually overtake the entirety of the form. Tears welling from raw pain formed in the corners of her eyes. I knew if I were still human that my face would mirror hers. But cats don't cry.

I shook myself, trying to free my emotions with the violent swaying of fur. But it didn't do much good.

I knew then that I was going to go home. I was sure Torhu and her grandfather would find me a wonderful owner- but it seemed suddenly pointless to be a cat for anyone else. I bounded to the windowsill and peered out the open window. It was open to the first story grounds. I turned back and gave Torhu a blink of thanks, and then I jumped.

Their voices followed me, but faded fast as my pace quickened.

Meeting a person like that girl, it changes you. Even in the short time I was with her, I was touched by her ability to smile through the pain. I vowed to myself as I sprinted away that I would one day be worthy to receive her misplaced affection, even if her affection was not really towards me, but to a cat.

The next time I woke up in a dumpster, I wasn't quite as crabby.


End file.
